The Pirate and The Mermaid
by Wolfakins
Summary: Captain Arthur and his crew haven been exploring the 7 seas for years. But, once the ship stumbles into an uncharted island Arthur will find an unusual man he never thought existed and make a friendship from deep within the sea.
1. Chapter 1

Dark clouds covered the once bright sky. The was no color, no sun, no blue, just dark shadows covering the dark blue, roaring ocean. Waves that started from nothing grew over 10 meters and slammed down against itself, causing large, rough waves to form all around the deep, vast water. It was difficult to see just a few feet in front of you. The only light you got was from the sudden flashes of lightning every couple minutes or so.

"Get a hold of that sail, you idiots! We'll all go over!"

"We are tryin' sir!"

A ship out at sea for long time is never a good time for the crew, especially if they get caught up in a storm like this. The high waves knocked against the boat, causing many of the crew members to lose their footing and fall onto the wet deck. The sail whipped around in the strong winds, ripping holes in the wet, white fabric.

"Want somethin' done right, you gotta do it yer self!" A man on the ship reached up and managed to grab hold of the thick ropes that were flailing around in the wind. With a strong pull he was able to bring the sail under control for the small amount needed to tie the ropes to the boat, steadying the the sail. Watching the man, the rest of the men got to work. They managed to grab some of the remaining ropes only to pull, raising the damaged sail and tie them down so the sail stayed up. The men pulled hard, making sure the sail would stay, only to pull it over and tie it down to the ship, making sure it stayed.

"Captain! Watch out!" The man turned around just in time to see a large wave, maybe twice as big as the ship, come crashing down against the ship. The whole ship was forced to rock back and forth, almost tipping it over. The men on the ship were flung off their feet. Everyone instantly grabbed a hold of something, not wanting to fall off, but many did toppled overboard. The man managed to grab a hold of the railing with his one hand. Trying to push against the wave, he tried to grab a hold with both hands. Sadly, the strong water toppled over him and pulled his body along with. Darkness, even darker than before, covered his vision. He could see nothing and nothing could see him. His arms and legs moved, trying to swim back to the surface. He was never a good swimmer… The pressure of gravity and the lack of air finally got to him. His body went limp as he released the remaining air from his mouth. Slowly, the man began his decent down to the bottom of the ocean.


	2. Chapter 2

_W-What…? What is this feeling…? Have my days finally come to an end? Am I gone? No… I can feel my fingers…. W-Wait… I'm… Not dead? H-How…?_

Slowly, the man cracked open his one good eye as the other was blocked by a patch. Though, what he got wasn't what he had expected. Over top of him was a man, blocking the sun from his eye. The shadowy figure was looking at him curiously, like he was something new. His hair fell with gravity, pulling it in front of his face, but not enough to block his vision. Water dripped down from his hair like he just came from the water. Carefully, this man placed what felt like wet fingers on the laying man's cheek, like he was looking at something he had never seen before. Touching something for the first time. Slowly, the man laying down opened his eye a bit more to see who this man was, but… even that slightest movement was seen. The man's eyes above him widen only to quickly pull away. Quickly, the man sat up only to see… nothing… No man, no person, no nobody. All around him was bright sand and a calm, blue ocean in front of him. The man blinked and looked around, hoping to find this man.

"Captain!" The man blinked and looked back out at sea to see a young boy with a bright smile and a waving hand. "You're alright!" He yelled. The man stood up slowly and stretched making sure everything was working properly as the boy rowed the boat onto the sand. The man walked over and climbed into the small boat, sitting down and relaxing as the boy rowed back out to sea. It was silent until the man spoke up.

"How did you find me, Alfred?"

"Well," The boy looked back up at the man. "You were just layin' there, so it was easy to spotcha'" He smiled.

"No. I mean, how did ya manage to find me? I could have been anywhere, even the bottom of the ocean…" The man explained as the thought of the man that was looking at him came back into his mind. It was weird… Did that man save him…?

"Oh! Well, after the storm settled down and we could see better we spotted this beach, so the crew told me to go see if anyone was here and if they had seen you. As I rowed closer I spotted you, Arthur!" The man sighed, but smiled lightly.

"You did a good job. If ya didn't come for me, I could have been stuck on this island for days, maybe even months." Alfred smiled and continued to row back to the ship, as it appeared almost out of nowhere. Why didn't Arthur see it before…?

The two here are ship mates together, more or less… The man is named Arthur, the Captain of the ship, while the boy's name was Alfred, a young crew member. Alfred was younger then most crew members, but it all had to do with his past and family. No, Alfred and Arthur we not family, but they were close. Arthur was, and still is, friends with his mother. That's where it all started.

Alfred was about 7 years of age when he first joined Arthur and his crew. Now, the boy was soon to turn 10. He wasn't as tall as Arthur, not just yet, but he stood up a half a foot above his waist. The young boy had golden, sandy blond hair that reached down to his ears, with a small cowlick that never stayed down, while his eyes were a bright sky blue. He wore a loose, white, short-sleeve top that layered over top of his loose light grey, almost tan, pair of shorts. His boots were small, reaching just a bit up his leg, and there a darker brown. He also had a small, loose, red cloth that he had tied roughly into a bow.

Arthur is about 23 years of age and stood at about 5' 8". His hair was a shaggy, messy blond that reached down just a bit past his ears. Currently, the man had on a wet, white, long-sleeved shirt that was half tucked in and half tucked out of his wet, dark blue pants, that were also tucked into his knee high, brown boots with golden lacing. He also wore a black eye patch around his left eye. All of his other clothing was left back on ship, as during storms he keeps them inside so if he was to be thrown overboard, like he was, they wouldn't be lost.

Alfred rowed the two of them back over to the ship. Arthur grabbed onto the rope, tied them to the boat, and grabbed the main rope to pull them up. Once Arthur managed to tie the boat steady, Alfred hopped right on out and ran off. Sighing, Arthur climbed out and looked around. His crew was doing any small repairs they needed, and could do. Satisfied, he called over one of his men.

"Yes, sir?" He asked.

"I want a check up on my girl. Tell me what needs to be fixed, and if we can fix them. I need to know if we need to stop for a repair once we come up on a port." Arthur explained. The crew member nodded and put up a salute.

"Aye, Aye, sir!" He nodded and ran off. With that, Arthur turned and walked into the Captain's cabin. And, to his liking, everything wasn't too messy from the storm.

He walked over to the back of the cabin and removed his boots and shirt. Twirling up the shirt, he twisted and tried to ring out as much water as he could. He removed his pants and did the same as his shirt. Placing them out to dry, he placed on a new shirt and pants that looked around the same. He slipped on a new pair of boots as well. Walking across the room and over to his stuff, he slipped on a red, long sleeve, long coat-like jacket. It was a bright red with black tips on the sleeves, black insides of the folded down neck and a black folded out main with golden lacing all over. He removed his eye-patch, keeping his eye shut, and shook out the water from his hair, as much as he could. After it felt dry enough, he grabbed the eye patch and slipped it back on. After, he placed a large, black pirate hat with a golden trim and white feathery-fluff on his head. Walking over to his weapons, he slipped on a loose belt that held onto his cutlas while he placed his small, handheld revolver in between his pants and a dark blue fabric that he wrapped around his waist.

Smiling as he had everything he needed, he walked back out to the deck and glanced around once more. Everyone was busy with something. Whether it be repairing the ship, drying out clothing or working on some kind of food for the crew. As he looked, he spotted the man he had talked to earlier. Seeing as how he looked to be finishing up, Arthur walked over. The man turned, facing Arthur, only to jump a bit.

"S-Sir!" Arthur smirked and crossed his arms.

"How is she looking?"

"Well… She can sail, but she's in rough condition. The waves damaged the sides greatly and the rain ruined a bit of the wood on deck. The sail has small holes here and there that might grow as we sail. I recommend we stop at the nearest port for repairs." Arthur looked around only to nod.

"Alright. We can't have her sinkin' on us, now can we?" The man shook his head.

"No, sir!" Arthur nodded.

"Good. Now, get back to work." The crew member nodded and ran off. Arthur looked out at sea, hoping to see some kind of major land. When he didn't see any sign of land, he sighed. They could just turn back around and see if there was a port they could dock at, but they would be losing time turning around. So, Arthur turned back around and headed back into his cabin. He walked over to a desk on which he had a map laid out, to find out where they were. The land Alfred had picked him off of had unique features so it was easy to spot. Thankfully, they weren't off course all that much. In fact, because of that storm, they would be arriving at an island midway of their main trip. Maybe the storm wasn't that bad after all…


	3. Chapter 3

"Arthur! Arthur! Up here!" Arthur glanced up from his thoughts to see the young Alfred up on the top of the mast, in the crow's nest. Sighing, Arthur reached up and rubbed his temples with his fingers.

"What do ya want, Alfred?" Arthur asked, glancing back up. Alfred had a large smiled on his face, like he had just discovered something amazing. And, he might have done just that.

"Come up here! I found somethin' and I don't know what it is!"

"If ya don't know what it is, why would I want to come see it?! It's probably just somethin' stupid again!" Arthur growled in irritation. Many times had Alfred tried to show Arthur something he thought was interesting. Though... many of those times turned out to be false alarms and turned out to be something simple and dumb.

"But, this is comin' out of the water! It's all colorful!" Arthur froze for a bit only to glance out at sea. They were coming up on a couple rocks that stuck out of the water here and there, so maybe Alfred was just seeing the rocks. He couldn't spot anything that was colorful. "Come up here and look!" Sighing, Arthur stood up just to hush the boy. After a small stretch to straighten everything out, he walked over to the middle of the ship and climbed up to the top of the mast, exactly where Alfred was at. Alfred back up and let Arthur in. Once up top, Arthur took a look around. Though, even at this height, he couldn't see anything color. Just rocks and water.

"Alfred… There is nothin' there…" Arthur sighed as he turned back around, wanting to go back down to the deck of the ship.

"Wait! Look through the telescope! You can see it better!" Alfred held out the telescope with a large smile. Sighing in irritation, Arthur turned back around and snatched the telescope from the young boy's hand. Looking through the seeing glass, he adjusted it to fit his eye before looked around. And of course, he didn't see anything. No movement, no colorful colors, no nothing. Just rocks, water and sky as far as the eye can see. Just as he was about to hand the telescope back to Alfred, his eye caught something… red. The red thing flicked out of the water only to disappear back under. "Did you see it?!"

"Aye…" Arthur watched a bit to see the red thing flip back out of the water. It looked a bit like… A tail. "What in the world…?"

"I know!" Alfred smiled. "It's so cool! What is it?! Do you know what it is?!" Alfred looked back out at sea in hope, jumping a bit in excitement.

"No…" Instantly, Alfred froze and looked back at Arthur.

"No? Y-You don't know…?"

"No." Arthur moved his attention back out at sea, looking to see if he could tell, at all, what this 'tail' thing was. To his surprise, a dark blue tail and a white tail flipped out of the water as well, only to disappear just as quickly as they appeared. As interested as he was, Arthur removed the telescope from his eye and handed it back to Alfred. Alfred looked up at Arthur, blinking in wonder.

"Th-Then… W-What is it?" Alfred asked, gripping onto the looking-glass.

"It's probably just colorful fish. Nothin' to worry about, Alfred."

"Fish?" Alfred' tilted his head.

"Of course. Now, don't bother me again unless you are about to die." Slowly, Alfred nodded before looking back out, wanting to watch the 'fish' more. Arthur looked at Alfred only to lightly sigh and climb back down. He knew that they were anything but fish. The 'tails', as he believes, are too big to be that of a fish, even in the telescope. But… What was it then? Never had he seen anything like that before… Never…


	4. Chapter 4

As night rolled around, Arthur couldn't find himself to sleep. Everything that happened after the storm is all so… mysterious… The person… these colored 'tails'… What did it all mean? Arthur found himself strolling around the deck as everyone had already fallen asleep for the night. As he walked, he thought. And as he thought, he walked. But, one thing that being out at sea is good for, is the night sky. So many stars littered the sky at night. It was like watching the snowfall. You could see billions and billions of stars and thousands of galaxies. It was so beautiful and amazing… Arthur caught himself looking at them with hope. He smiled lightly at the stars, only to sigh and look back down. He used to look at the stars with his father when they went out at sea together way back when. He was adventurous, powerful, devious, feared, but also… loved… by his crew and family; expectantly him. Sighing, Arthur walked to the rail on the side of the boat, looking out at the moonlit water. The water was so calm. Hopefully it stayed that way until they can reach their destination. He turned back around with a yawn only to disappear into his cabin to sleep.

* * *

"Who does he think he is?! Ruining such a beautiful night!" A boy roared.

"Calm down. He will leave shortly." The oldest boy explained with a sigh.

"He was watching us earlier in the day too." Another commented.

"He was?! And you didn't say anything?!" The one girl in the group yelled, smacking him in the back of the head. The boy reached up and rubbed his head.

"Why would I? He was just watching. I doubt he has any idea what he was looking at…"

"Still, you are putting us all at risk!" The first boy roared once more.

"Shut up you three!" The eldest yelled. Instantly, all 3 shut their mouths. "Good. Look, the two-legger is leaving." The 3 youngest, the 3 that were yelling, looked over to see the man walking back into the large boat.

"Good! Then, let's go!" The first boy yelled with a large smile, only to jump off the rock. the other boy and the girl soon followed, leaving the two eldest.

"Are you joining us, _aru_?" The eldest asked.

" _Hai_ , of course." The other boy nodded only to followed the eldest off the rock.


	5. Chapter 5

"Come on, Alfred. We have to get goin'." Arthur yelled.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" Alfred yelled back. As of now, the ship had been docked at the large island on Arthur's map for repairs. While the ship was being repaired the crew were 'given' a place to stay and rest up. Of course, they were allowed to travel around, but only to the edge of town, just in case. Arthur had informed Alfred to go grab a box from the bottom of the ship. They needed to bring it ashore and into the place they were going to be staying in.

Quickly, Alfred ran back up the wooden stairs with a large box in his hands. Now, something that wasn't mentioned before; Alfred isn't your normal child. Yes, he is a child in the way he acted and the things he liked, but what stood him apart from other children, was his insane strength. He could, at times, carry twice the amount that Arthur could. So, his main help around the ship was with heavy things, as he could easily lift them.

"Thank you, Alfred." Arthur picked up the box and the two walked down the ramp, off the ship. They walked down the wooden port only to turn and make their way other to the hut. Inside, everyone had a place to sleep and that was about it. What confused Alfred, was why everyone was changing their clothing. The clothing was a lot nicer and neater than what they wore on the ship.

"Arthur…?" Alfred turned to face Arthur.

"Hm?" Arthur placed the box down and opened it up, pulling out good-looking clothes just like the rest of the crew.

"W-What is everyone doin'?"

"Changing, of course. We have to blend in and try not to stick out too much." Arthur removed his pirate clothing, folding it and placing it in the box. He pulled out a nice outfit, slipping it on. The outfit was a nice black tailcoat suit with flipped down part at the top and golden lacing. The suit reached down to the back of his knees while the pants were a black, but where just a bit darker. He also lightly combed out his hair to make look a bit less of a mess. "Come on, lass. Undress so we can get you into a suit." Arthur looked back at Alfred only to see what looked like a hint of fear. Never, not even at his own home, had Alfred ever heard Arthur speak like that. He was.. a gentleman. "Well? What's wrong?"

"W-Why are you speakin' l-like that…?" Alfred swallowed his spit. Arthur relaxed, knowing that Alfred's fear was nothing bad.

"We have to, to fit in. All of the crew members have been trained, by me, to fit in like this." Arthur smirked. Though, it dropped almost instantly as realization hit him. He put his hand up to his face with a groan.

"Arthur?" Alfred asked.

"I never taught you… Bloody hell… That's what I should have been doing on our way here…" Arthur sighed, glancing back at Alfred. "Alright. I'll just teach you as you get dressed." Arthur relaxed his hand and looked back at Alfred. "Well? Come on. Get undressed and put this on." Arthur grabbed a smaller suit, one that he used to wear when he was younger. Alfred slowly undressed and began to put the suit on. Once he had it partly on, Arthur bent down and helped him with the rest. "Back straight and shoulders back." Alfred listened, already not liking this new change. "When we walk into town, you are to stay by my side and walk with me. If you want something, you are to ask me politely so you don't seem like a brat. When addressing an older man you are to say sir, or madam if it is an older woman. Do not talk with anyone unless you are spoken too fist. Say please and thank you when appropriate." Alfred nodded. "When speaking to me, you must only call me Arthur. No captain. As well as proper speaking like I have been doing. Oh, and yes, not aye, got it?" Arthur fluffed Alfred's suit just a bit, before looking back up at Alfred. Alfred nodded.

"Y-Yes, Arthur." Arthur smiled and grabbed a comb out of his pocket. He combed through Alfred's hair, making it look as neat as it could. Sighing as he couldn't get the damned cowlick to stay down, he gave up and placed the comb away.

"Good." Arthur stood back up before looking at Alfred with a smile. "You know? You make a good gentleman. If you ever wanted to stop being a pirate, you could easily fit right in." Alfred's eyes instantly widened at the comment.

"N-No! I want to be a pirate! That's why I came along with you!" Arthur chuckled lightly.

"I'm just saying, boy. Calm down." Alfred crossed his arms and pouted lightly. For a 9 year old, Alfred sure could act like a little kid. Alfred glanced back up at Arthur to see him placing a hat lightly on his head. Quickly, the boy noticed the eye patch.

"Um… C-I mean, Arthur." Arthur blinked, but look over. "What about your eye-patch? Isn't that a pirate thing…?" Arthur looked at Alfred, confusingly only for his eye to wide.

"Ah, thank you for catching that." Arthur removed his hat and removed the pirate eye-patch, but kept his eye closed. He grabbed a nicer looking black eye-patch and slipped it on, tying the thin black strings in the back. Smiling, he placed the hat back on his head. "Now, let's go get you something nice to eat." Alfred's eyes widened with a large smile and a nod; always one for food, no matter what.

Arthur walked out of the building they were staying with Alfred following close behind. The two walk farther into the town only for Alfred's eyes to widen. He had lived in a town before, long ago, but he was still at shock at how many people there were and how many active things going on. Shop buildings lines the sides, stands lined the streets, children played around while some walked with their parents, and there were adults, everywhere. Alfred stuck by Arthur's side as he walked over to one of the stands. Picking out some food here and there, Arthur paid the amount needed and was able to take the food. He led Alfred over to a small table they had out in the open and gave about half of the food to him. As soon as Alfred got the food he needed, he dug right in. "Alfred…" Alfred stopped and slowly glanced up at Arthur. Arthur looked at him like he did something wrong. "You are eating too fast, and messy." Alfred looked down at his food only to sigh and eat slower and not as messily, like Arthur.

"This is stupid…" Alfred growled, as he finished up. "I hate sitting and walking like this… I hate all the people… I hate having to eat like a proper person… I want to go back on the ship…" Alfred pouted. Arthur looked at him with a chuckle.

"We will only be here until my ship is repaired. You can wait a day or two."

"UGH!" Alfred groaned, placing his head down on the table.

"Oh, how cute~" Arthur glanced over to the sound only to smile. There stood two adults; a male and a female. Both were dressed nicely in a suit and dress with hair done nicely. At the voice, Alfred glanced over only to quickly fix his sitting, not wanting Arthur to yell at him.

"Sorry to bother you. You see, my wife just wanted to come over and say hello to the young boy." The man explained.

"Oh, not at all. He is quite the handsome one." Arthur smirked, standing up. Alfred slid off the chair and walked over next to Arthur, hiding behind him a bit. Arthur reached his hand out, shaking it with the man. "Kirkland, Arthur Kirkland." Arthur smiled. The man blinked, but smiled as well.

"Evans, Lewis Evans." Arthur's smile grew at the name. Alfred looked up at the two, blinking in confusion. Where they friends? Did they know each other? Arthur only smiled like that if he knew someone. "Would you mind coming over for some tea? I'm sure Grace here won't mind." Lewis looked at the woman; his wife. Grace smiled, shaking her head.

"Not at all. I would love to make tea for you." Arthur nodded with a smile.

"I would enjoy that." Arthur paused for a little. "Ah! What about Alfred here?" Arthur placed his hand on Alfred's shoulder. Alfred blinked, glancing up at him.

"Oh, that's won't be a problem." Grace smiled. Alfred looked back down only to see a young girl looking at him. She stood behind the woman, probably her mother. When they made eye contact, she smiled brightly. Alfred blinked, but lightly smiled back. She walked out and up to Alfred. Alfred backed up a bit, unknown what to do with a girl as he never had a girl, besides his mother, in his life.

"Hi! I'm Emily!" She smiled. Alfred's face grew a light pink at her smile. Arthur chuckled lightly.

"Well, go on. Say hi." Alfred stepped back slightly.

"H-Hi… M-My name is Alfred." Emily was a happy child, roughly about the same age as Alfred, maybe a year younger. She had short golden blonde, wavy hair that reached down to her shoulders. She wore a bright green dress that brought out her bright, sky blue eyes; according to Alfred.

"The two may play while I make you tea." Grace smiled. So, with that, Arthur and Alfred were led back to thy three's humble home on the island.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you all so much! I never could imagine that this story would be read by so many of you! Especially this trash. XD Though, I _am_ glad you all are enjoying it. :D  
Please, tell me what you think of it. I'm always open to comments and reviews. Any way that you think I could make this story better would be amazing.  
Once again, thank you all for reading and enjoying~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you Rain Dancer12 for your feedback. I'm glad you're enjoying it~**

* * *

Their home was large and nicely furnished, looking expensive compared to Alfred's home. While Alfred and Emily had run off together to play, Grace walked into the living room, handing Arthur and Lewis their cup of tea. Arthur thanked her, having her smile and walk back into the kitchen. Looking back down at the tea, Arthur took a small sip to test its taste. Arthur's eyes widened slightly at the taste. It tasted almost exactly like the tea he used to drink with his family. Arthur gave a slight smile at the memory.

"This is very good. You have a great taste in tea." Arthur pointed out, taking another sip.

"I have been told." Lewis smiled. "I hope you do not mind me asking, we had just started out tea time, but would you follow me into a room? I have things I think you might like." Arthur blinked at the man, only to nod.

"Of course. I do not mind." The two stood up from their seats only for Lewis to lead Arthur to the back of the house and over to a door. Pulling out a key, Lewis unlocked the door and stepped in with Arthur. He flipped on the lights and placed his cup of tea on a small table of to the side. Arthur took another sip of the tea before doing the same. "Nice family you got, Lewis." Arthur commented. "A wife and a child? It hasn't even been that long." He smirked, crossing his arms and leaning up against the table.

"Well, things happen." Lewis smiled and walked over to a rack of shelves, looking through it.

"How old is she? She looks younger than Alfred." Lewis sighed.

"She's 8." Arthur's eye widened.

"You only dropped sailing, what? 5 years ago?"

"Yeah, well… One on of my trips to an island, I came across Grace. We did it and I left. We both wanted similar things; she wanted to know what it was like with a pirate who doesn't get much activity out at sea and I wanted to fuck her. Simple as that. We thought we were fine, so I left. I stopped by a couple years later and here she comes, tellin' me she got a kid and that it's mine. Even though I was a pirate, I couldn't ever run away from that. So, that's when I stopped sailing and settled down with her. We moved here and have lived here ever since."

"And you were basically set for life from your pirate days." Arthur smiled with Lewis nodding in agreement.

"Here it is." Lewis pulled out an old, ripped up, rolled up piece of paper. He walked over to Arthur and handed it to him.

"What is this?" Arthur asked, taking the paper and unrolling it. The piece of paper was an old map. "A map?" Lewis nodded. Arthur turned around and placed it down on the table to look at it better. Lewis helped pin it down so it didn't roll back up. The map was ripped here and there and drawn on old paper, making it quite an old piece. The islands that littered the map were in a unique drawing that Arthur had only seen once before. This was certainly a very old and special map.

"This is where this large island is." Lewis pointed to the large island off to the side. "All of these other islands are on your map. All except this one." Lewis dragged his finger over the map and over to an island about half the side of the island they were on now. Most of it looked like forest, but there might be a small town towards the coast.

"And? That only proves that people are stupid and can completely miss an island when drawing new maps." Arthur looked back up at Lewis with an, 'are you serious?' look. "What is the point of this map? Did you just what to show me this, or what?"

"No, no. Of course not. I have always wanted to explore that island; wanting to know why it was never redrawn. But, I cannot. I want you to go and explore it. You have always enjoyed mystery and things like that. This would be good for you. You are on your way to the New Land, correct? You can stop by it on your way. It's not too far off."

"Lewis..." Arthur sighed. "It is 1855. It's no longer New. But, yes. I am."

"I can call it what I wish~" Lewis smirked and went back to the map. "But, you should check it out. Just a peek." Sighing, Arthur gave in.

"Fine. I'll check it out when, and _if_ , I have time." Arthur rolled the map back up and put it aside. He glanced over at the shelf of rolled paper, curiousity getting the best of him. "So, those papers. Are they also maps?" Lewis blinked, looking over.

"Yes, of course."

"What are they on? Just world maps and country maps?"

"Oh, no. Of course not. I have building maps as well, that I managed to get a hold on." Lewis smiled, proud of his collection. Though, thoughts were racing through Arthur's mind. The more he thought, the larger the smile was on his face.

"Do you happen to have the plans to the castle on this here island?" Lewis blinked and looked back over at Arthur.

"That I do." Lewis didn't even half to ask to know what Arthur wanted. Arthur was a great man and could easily be a gentleman if he wanted. But, what is keeping him from that is his own pirate ways. "You know that is the stupidest idea I ever heard of from you, and I've heard some pretty stupid shit from you out at sea." Lewis explained, but sighed and grabbed one of the rolled papers, tossing it over to him. Smirking, Arthur unrolled the paper to reveal a large lay out of the castle. Yes, there was a castle on this island. A King, Queen and Princess as well. And what does that mean? That means gold. Gold for days. Arthur instantly began forming a plan in his head, making sure he could get away with as much as he could without being caught. It was silent for a little, until Lewis spoke up.

"So, Alfred huh? Don't tell me you're taking responsibility for something you did." Arthur blinked, glancing up at Lewis.

"What? Of course not." Arthur huffed. "I'm not as stupid as you. Alfred isn't mine. He's the kid of a…" He paused, trying to find the right words. "A friend of mine."

"And who would that be?" Lewis asked, wanting to know who Alfred was.

"Remember that young girl we meet when my father sailed us over to the 'New Land', as you call it?" Lewis nodded, only for his eyes to widen.

"Really?! Ayiana?!" Arthur nodded. "Do you know the father? Because Alfred surely didn't get his blond hair from her, that's for sure." Lewis chuckled. Arthur sighed, rolling his eye.

"Francis." Lewis's chuckled instantly stopped as his eyes widened.

"Francis?" Arthur nodded. "The Frenchie that traveled with us because of your father?" Again, Arthur nodded. "The one you hate?"

"Yes. Bonnefoy. Francis Bonnefoy." Arthur rolled his eye, rolling the map back up and handing it back to Lewis. Lewis just placed the paper down, wanting to know more.

"So… Ayiana took Francis? Wasn't she supposed to be married by her parent's picking?"

"Yes, that is true. But, when Francis went to visit that guy was rude and ungrateful to her, so Francis and her 'ran off together' and got together."

"Is Alfred the only one?" Arthur opened his mouth only to quickly shut it as he thought...

"No. He has a twin brother... Matthew...? Yes, Matthew. They look almost the exact same." Arthur explained.

"Wow… Who would have thought Francis would make it this far? He was so weak when he started out." Lewis sighed, picking up the paper and placing it in its place. It grew silent. That is, until Arthur cleared his throat.

"Well, Alfred and I best be off. It is getting late and he is still a kid." Arthur turned around, picking up up the map that Lewis gave to him.

"Ah, yes. Emily should be off to bed as well." Lewis smiled as Arthur began to walk towards the door to take him out. "Oh! Arthur." Arthur stopped walking. "I just happened to remember a certain ball that is supposed to take place in a couple of days. Where was it again… Oh, yes! The castle." Arthur's eye widen slightly. "I think you better plan your raid carefully. I don't want to see you dead." Arthur chuckled only to turn around to look at Lewis.

"Thank you for the information. And as I promised, _I don't ever plan on dying_." Arthur smirked. With that, the two men walked out of the room. Arthur called down Alfred and got him ready to leave, even though he didn't want to go just yet. After some goodbyes and nice to meet you's Arthur and Alfred left, walking back to their small hut to sleep the night away.

* * *

 **I have found a role for Francis! Yay! At first, I wanted to have Alfred and Arthur be related, because obvious reasons, but... It just didn't make sense as I wrote... So~ Why not have Francis as Alfred's, and Matthew's father? (Well... Francis can sometimes be seen as Matthew's father in some stories anyway...)  
** **Ayiana is a human name that I use for a representation for Native America in some stories that I wrote. Why not add her too? Francis needs a wife~  
I might write something small on them at some point, but no promises.  
Once again, thank you for read~ :3**


	7. Chapter 7

"A what?"

"A ball."

"Isn't that girly?"

"No. Not at all. It is for everyone." Arthur explained as he slipped on his shoes.

"Do I have to go?" Alfred pouted, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

"Yes. I need to go and I have to watch you. Besides, Lewis and Grace are going, so Emily will be there. You can play around with her." Arthur smiled, fixing his tail coat and combing out his hair slightly. Alfred's eyes widened and bit before getting ready himself. Arthur chuckled lightly. "Why are you in such a rush? Do you enjoy playing with Emily?"

"Yeah! She's a good play buddy! I'm not allowed to play on your ship, so I want to play with Emily!" Alfred smiled as he finished up quickly. Arthur bent down and helped him with the coat only to comb out his hair as well.

"Is that so?" Alfred nodded with a smile. Arthur smiled back, standing up and placing the comb back in his pocket. "Then, let's be off." Alfred nodded, standing up. Arthur walk out of home they were staying in and over to the castle, with Alfred following close behind. As they got closer the lights grew brighter as the sound grew louder. Arthur could feel Alfred jumping around, wanting to get inside; most likely to see Emily once again. This caused Arthur to chuckle. Emily was a nice girl. He was happy Alfred was able to make some kind of friend. They got in quickly and were instantly greeted by loud talking and wonderful music. Alfred instantly grabbed onto Arthur's hand, not wanting to get lost in the large crowd. Arthur smiled and led Alfred over to the opposite wall, out of the crowd.

"Arthur!" Arthur and Alfred turned around to see Lewis waving his arm to get their attention. Lightly smiling, Arthur walked over, pulling Alfred along.

"Hello, Lewis." Lewis put his arm down and smiled back. "Where is your family at?" Arthur asked.

"Over here. Come. Follow me." Lewis lead the two over to part of the ball room that, surprisingly, wasn't crowded like the rest of the place. As soon as they got into veiw, Grace smiled at them.

"Alfred!" Emily yelled, running over and jumping into a hug. Alfred laughed and hugged back.

"Hello, Emily!" The two let go and looked at each other with big smiles.

"Come on! Let's go play!" Emily smiled, grabbing Alfred's hand and running off with him.

"Don't go too far, Emily!" Grace yelled with a smile on her face. With that, the two disappeared into the crowd. Lewis chuckled and looked back at Arthur.

"So, it seems they have a nice friendship growing." Arthur nodded, turning back to him.

"So it has." Arthur walked closer to the couple only for conversation to start up. The 3 talked for what seemed like forever. When the sound of a grand clock rang for 8, it was time for Arthur's plan to begin.

He thanked the two for the conversation and left to go into the crowd. She was going to be hidden well, for her own protect, but he could do it. He has been always able to do very different things, you could call extraordinary things, from normal people. Every since the incident… He scanned the crowed, looking for that special glow people like her had.

"W'at are you looking for, _monsieur_?" French? Arthur blinked, turning around. It was her. This 'her' was an elegantly-dressed woman with violet eyes. Her dirty blond hair was tied back into a french knot, that was being held back by a small crown. She wore a beautiful outfit with the upper part being a double-breasted military uniform with a matching black tie and gloves, while the lower part of the outfit was a light purple skirt, black stockings and knee-high boots. Resting on her shoulders was a long, dark purple cape that reached down to her knees and had the French crescent on it. Arthur smiled at this.

"Ah, it has seemed that I have already found what I was looking for." Arthur lightly grabbed her hand and bringing it up to kiss it. The woman blinked, smiling as well. "The name is Arthur."

"Françoise. It's a pleasure to meet you." Arthur smiled. It was exactly who he was looking for. Before Arthur could say a word the song the musician's were playing, had finished up only for a slower song to begin. A song meant for couples to dance to together. Arthur lightly smiled only to back up slightly and bow a bit with his hand out.

"Would you care to dance, my lady?" Françoise smiled, placing her hand in his.

"Why, _merci_." The two walked together to the middle of the dancing groups, before beginning. Arthur placed his free hand on her waist while Françoise placed hers on his shoulder. Slowly, they began to dance to the same beat and the same way as everyone else. Both were surprised at how well the other could dance. Both were very good compared to the rest of the guests. As they dances, Arthur was able to glance behind Françoise, wanting everything to be perfect for this. What he didn't expect to see was Alfred and Emily.

Across the ballroom floor, was Emily and Alfred. dancing. Or, rather, trying to. Emily seemed to know how to dance, while Alfred didn't; she was teaching him the best she could. He stepped on her feet a couple of times, but he seemed to get it pretty easily. "W'o is zat?" Françoise brought Arthur's attention back to her.

"Hm?" He asked.

"Zat boy and girl you are staring at. Are you related?"

"Oh, no. The boy is my friend's son and the girl is a different friend's daughter."

"Boz look really close." She smiled, always loving a little romance.

"That they do." Arthur sighed with a light smile.

"Do you have any?" Françoise moved a bit closer to Arthur. Arthur looked down at her lightly with a light smirk.

"A child? No. Not at all. I do not plan on having any." Françoise glanced up at him.

" _Non_? Not at all?"

"No. My love life is a little… off…" Arthur sighed.

"Ah… I see… You just haven't found the right one yet." Françoise smiled.

"No. I have not." Arthur agreed with a nod. The songs slowly came to a start only to begin playing normal ball music once more.

"Could I offer you somezing to drink?" Françoise smiled. Arthur blinked.

"The drinks here are not that good… I think I will pass." Françoise laughed lightly.

"Not the drinks down 'ere." Arthur blinked and looked down at Françoise. "I 'ave… my own." She smiled, grabbing his hand. "Would you care to join me?" Arthur blinked, but smiled.

"I would love to." Françoise pealed away from Arthur, keeping their hands together, only to pull him out of the crowd of dancers and deeper into the castle. Up a flight of stairs and turning corners, Françoise led Arthur over to a room. Smiling, she slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door to the room; a bedroom, her bedroom. She led Arthur inside, having him close the door behind him, only to let his hand go. Arthur watched as she walked over to the bed, kneeled down and pull out a box. Blinking, Arthur watched carefully. Françoise opened the box and pulled out a bottle of wine. She held it up, looking at it only to place it off to the side and close the box to slide it back underneath the bed. She grabbed the wine and stood back up, before walked back over to Arthur and handing it to him. "Zis will be good, _non_?" She smiled. Arthur grabbed the wine, glancing at it a bit before smiling.

"Of course." Arthur smiled back. Françoise nodded along with only to turn around and walked over to a shelf to grab some glasses.

"Relax a bit, Arzer. You don't 'ave to wear everyzing, you know?" Françoise smirked lightly. Arthur chuckled.

"Yes, of course." Arthur set the wine down and removed his black suit jacket, setting it down on the large, velvet red chair in the corner. When he turned back around, Françoise stood there with two wine glasses in her hand.

"Care to pour?" She smiled. Arthur smirked lightly.

"Of course." He grabbed the glasses and set them on the small stand as Françoise removed some of the top layer of her clothing and setting them on her bed. Arthur smiled and uncorked the wine with a 'pop' only to pour an even amount of the liquid in each of the clear glasses. He glanced back over, to see her back turned to him, making him smirk. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag. Opening it up, he poured a small bit of the substance into Françoise's cup and quickly tuck it away. He picked up the glasses and turned around to find her sitting on the bed, waiting. Arthur smiled and walked over, handing her, her glass.

" _Merci_ ~" She smiled, taking a sip. Arthur nodded, sitting down next to her and taking a sip as well. Instantly, his eye widen. It was the best wine he had ever tasted! Now, Arthur wasn't a big fan of wine, he was more of a beer and rum guy, but this was the best wine.

"Where did you get such a drink?" Arthur glanced back at Françoise to see her smiling.

"Why, _France_ , of course~" She took another sip. Arthur rolled his eye slightly at 'France', not too fond of the country or the people from it. Bringing up his glass, Arthur took another sip as the two began conversation.

* * *

 **So... I keep getting side tracked... I promise this is an Asakiku fic! I just... get sidetracked often on what's going on in the story... XD Sorry. I promise Kiku will come in soon. It's just... taking longer than I thought...  
Again, sorry it's taking so long. I'll have him in soon. I promise.  
** **Thank you for reading and I hope you're still enjoying it**


	8. Chapter 8

"Thank you for the wine, Françoise. I would have to say that wine was the best wine I ever had." Arthur slipped back on his black tail coat and buttoned the couple buttons in the front only to straighten it out, making it look nice. "I'm sorry that I have to bail on you so quickly, I have to make sure that Alfred doesn't worry and the ball is almost over. Oh! And, I hope you don't mind…"

Arthur pulled out a black bag and walked over to Françoise's wooden dresser, grabbing the crown. Picking it up, Arthur spun it around, looking at it's light golden color with it's shining multi-colored jewels on the tips.

"I plan on taking a few things~ Don't worry, you'll hardly notice them gone."

Arthur smirk and dropped the crown into his bag, causing a quiet rattle as the crown hit other jewelry and such. He walked over to the side of the bed, kneeling down and pulling out the box Françoise pulled out. He smiled at the lock that rested open.

"Oh, Françoise, you forget to relock your box. Someone could easily steal your wine~"

Arthur smirked and opened up the box to see many bottles of the wine he had shared with her. He grabbed one of them only to wrap it in cloth and slid it into his bag as well. He shut the box, clicking it shut, and kicking it back under the bed. He turned and walked over to the door twirling a key around his finger.

"And again, thank you for the wine~" He glanced back at the bed, looking at Françoise's sleeping form. Her face was slightly red from the amount of wine she had taken. She slept in a relaxed state, not a thought in her mind. Smirking one last time, Arthur left the room, shutting the lights off and closing the door.

* * *

Arthur walked down the hall of the castle quietly looking around as he tried to remember what the layout looked like. Turning some corners, he finally reached the area that he wanted. He turned the last corner only to quickly run back around and press his body against the wall. _Guards?! Why now? There is a ball going on and you still have guards?! I thought this castle was supposed to be open?!_ Arthur sighed and reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife that he never thought he would use. He fixed himself up and walked out. He began his walk over, keeping an eye on the guards. But, to his surprise, they never looked at him. He blinked and walked right up to stand in front of them. Neither of them moved. _You have got to be kidding me…_ Both of the guards had their eyes closed and were, most likely, a sleep while standing… Arthur rolled his eye and placed the knife back into his pocket and pulled back out the key. Inserting into the keyhole, he unlocked the door and opened it up. Stepping into the room his eye instantly widened.

Gold. Silver. Gems. Jewels. Everything. It was a pirate's dream. Arthur's smirk grew as he couldn't control himself any longer. He quickly shut the door and placed the bag on the ground only to go through everything. Expensive things. In the bag. Jewels. In the bag. Crowns. Bag. Jewelry. Bag. Anything that looked like a lot of money, or was just plain amazing, was tossed into the large bag. Quickly, the bag filled, causing him to growl. He never had enough room for everything. **Never!**

"OW!" Arthur hissed, snapping back into reality. He blinked a bit before sighing. "No. I am still on land. I am still in the castle. I have to control myself until I get back to the boat…" Arthur looked down at his left arm to see the sleeve rolled up, scratches and freshly drawn blood running down his arm and onto his hand. "Damn it… This needs to stop…" Arthur sighed once again before pulling out a rag from his pocket. He quickly whipped away the blood and tied the cloth around the scratches only to pull the sleeve back down. He closed up the bag and throw it over his shoulder. You might think the bag was too heavy for Arthur to carry, but you're not that far off. Yes, the bag is heavy, but Arthur is stronger than he looks… Much stronger… Arthur slowly opened the door and peered out to see the guards were still sleeping at post. Quietly, he stepped out and shut the door, relocking it. Carefully, he walked past the guards and began his trip down route number 2.

At the end of the hall he had taken was a window. Exactly where the plans had said it was. Smiling, he quickly walked over and set the bag down. He pulled out his knife and stuck it in the lock. Lightly moving the knife around it took about a minute or so until the lock unlocked with a click. Slipping it back into his pocket he carefully pushed open the window only to be greeted by a light gust of wind. Smiling, Arthur looked down to see the ground not that far off… This side of the castle was lined with bushes, making it safe for his bag. Arthur grabbed the bag and lifted it up over the edge. Carefully, he lowered it down as far as he could before holding his breath and dropping the bag. Quickly, it reached the bushes with a clink as the items all hit each other. But, besides that, it was alright. Arthur smiled and lifted himself up and over the ledge and out the window. He found his footing only to reached back up and shut the window, making it look like nothing had happened. He slowly made his way down the castle side and into the bushes. He stood up and walked out of the bushes only to brush himself off. Looking back at the bag, he pushed it farther into the bushes to hide it. With that, he walked back around the castle and re-entered.

Music was still playing and people were still dancing. They all must be planning to leave at the last minute. He walked into the crowd and weaved in and out, making his way across the ballroom and back over to where Lewis and Grace where before he left. Thankfully, they were still there. But, Alfred and Emily were nowhere to be seen. They must still be dancing.

"Arthur! Glad to have you back with us." Lewis smiled. Grace looked over only to smile as well. Arthur smiled and walked up to them.

"Sorry for being gone. I had to take care of something." Lewis nodded, understanding completely.

"No. It's fine, Arthur. Business is Business." Grace smiled. Arthur looked around, still not seeing Alfred or Emily.

"Are the two still out there? Dancing?" Arthur looked back at the two.

"Of course." Grace explained. "Emily has been teaching Alfred how to dance. Catches on quickly, that boy. They've just been dancing all night. Oh, how I love young love~" She smiled. Arthur instantly froze and glanced back at Grace, seeing her smile. He glanced at Lewis to see him chuckling lightly.

"L-Love…?"

"Why, of course, Arthur." Lewis explained with a smirk. "So, what about you? Do you have a lady yet, or are you still afraid of them?~" He teased. Instantly, Arthur narrowed his eye at Lewis and growled.

"I have never, and never will be, afraid of women!" Arthur hissed.

"Come on~" Lewis walked over and draped an arm over Arthur's shoulder. "I'm just playing~ But, at least tell me you find some girls attractive. Or, have a girl." Arthur blushed lightly as he looked at the ground. "Really? After all these years?" Arthur pulled away from Lewis and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not like you or Francis, alright?" Arthur crossed his arms.

"You weren't that different all those years ago." Lewis moved closer to Arthur so Grace wouldn't hear. "You would still watch 'em walking down the streets with us when we would land." Arthur looked down, remembering that time…

 ** _"Look at that one! Man…" A young, rougher looking Lewis smirked._**

 ** _"You 'ave a good eye, Lewis~" A young blond nudged Lewis. He was the one called Francis. He turned to look over at a young Arthur, seeing what he was up to. "Find anyzing interesting, Arzer?" Arthur jumped slightly only to whip his head back around to see Francis and Lewis looking at him._**

 ** _"What?" He growled slightly._**

 ** _"Are you even lookin'?" Lewis asked. Arthur blinked, blushing a bit._**

 ** _"O-Of course!" Arthur crossed his arms and looked back out at the streets. Francis and Lewis looked at each other only to shrug and look back out as well. Arthur sighed lightly and rested his head in his arms only to look down. Of course he wasn't looking… His eyes never stayed on a woman as he and his friends looked. It would always move to men, no matter how hard he tried. Sighing, Arthur looked back up and tried watching the women walking by. Every time they would walk by he would focus his eyes at important parts, but nothing stood out to him… Not even the ones Lewis and Francis kept pointing out. Maybe he was just meant to never fall in love…_**

 ** _"That's what it means, huh?" Arthur sighed._**

 ** _"What's what mean?" Lewis asked. Arthur stood up and turned around._**

 **" _I'm headin' in for today…"_**

 ** _"Arzer, wait." Francis stood up, but Arthur had always began his walk back to the ship_.**

"Listen, Lewis." Arthur pulled away and looked directly into Lewis's eyes. "I'm not like you or Francis at all. You don't know anything and I suggest you stay out of it. Now, it's getting late and I have to be on my way. I promised to return Alfred back to Francis every once and a while, and if I don't leave, I won't arrive there on time." Lewis blinked, but sighed with a smile.

"I'm sorry, Arthur. I've known that you're different." Arthur blinked. "After that, you never came back out, ever." Lewis looked back up at Arthur. "You shouldn't keep Francis waiting. Next time you back to this island, you should stop by and say hello, alright?" He smiled. Arthur blinked, but sighed with a smile.

"Alright." Arthur nodded.

"Arthur!" The group of 3 adults turned around to see Emily and Alfred running back over, hand in hand. Grace and Lewis smiled, while Arthur sighed.

"Hello, Alfred." Arthur looked back at Alfred to see him smiling. "Are you ready to leave?" Alfred and Emily blinked.

"Leave?" Emily asked, looking at Alfred. Alfred looked up at Arthur only for his eyes to widen.

"Oh… Yeah…" Alfred looked back at Emily. "We don't live here. We were just visiting…"

"Oh…" Emily looked down.

"It's alright, Emily. Alfred will visit again." Grace smiled, walking over to her daughter and grabbing her hand. Emily's hand let go of Alfred's and walked over next to her mother. Alfred looked at Emily only to walk over to Arthur.

"Of course. I hope you stop by soon, hm?" Lewis asked, looking back over at Arthur. Arthur looked over and nodded. The two shook hands and peered apart. Arthur began his trip out of the castle, with Alfred quickly following. Lewis and his family gave a wave goodbye before beginning to leave themselves.


	9. Chapter 9

"Arthur, why are we leaving?" Alfred asked as he quickly followed Arthur out of the castle. The two turned the corner and walked around the side of the castle.

"We can't stay here any longer. Our ship is all ready to go and we have to go back out at sea." Arthur explained as he looked through the bushes, trying to find the one with the bag. Alfred's eyes widened a bit at the news.

"Back out at sea?!" A smile grew on the young boy's face. Alfred loved being out at sea. He didn't like being stuck on land for too long.

"Yes, boy. Now quiet down if you don't want us to get caught." Arthur's eye finally landed on his bush. He walked over, bent down and reached in, grabbing the bag.

"Get caught doing what?" Alfred walked over and watched Arthur pulled out the beg with a smile.

"Well, take a look." Arthur smirk and looked back up at Alfred. Alfred looked down at the bag, letting Arthur open it. Instantly, his eyes widen in amazement.

"Whoa…" There was so much gold and treasure in one place. Alfred had never seen anything like it before.

Arthur smiled and quickly close the bag, stood up and throwing it over his shoulder. "Come on, let's get back on my ship." Arthur looked down at Alfred with a smirk. Alfred nodded with a smile only to follow the older man down the castle and over to the docks. To Alfred's surprise, the crew was already there and getting the boat ready to sail again. Arthur led Alfred back up on the the ship and into his quarters. Following him to the back of the cabin, Alfred turned back around to look at everything Arthur had, in amazement. Normally, Alfred wasn't allowed back in here. Arthur had it off limits to everybody.

While Alfred was looking around, Arthur muttered something into his hand creating a green glow in his palm. He waved the glowing green light in front of him only for a large chest to fade into sight. Smirking, Arthur bend down and placed the bag on the ground. The noise of the gold clicking together caused Alfred to turn around. Upon seeing the chest, Alfred blinked and rubbed his eyes. It wasn't there before… was it? Arthur opened up the chest only for Alfred's eyes to widen. Gold. So much gold. Ranging from coins to items like cups and silverware, there was even a couple crowns in there. Arthur picked up the bag and dumped all of its contents into the chest, making Alfred stand in even more shock from the amount of items Arthur had taken this time. And, landing right on top of everything was the crown from the Princess and the bottle of wine.

"Whoa… That's a lot Arthur." Alfred looked back at Arthur. Arthur chuckled and picked up the wine bottle. He stood up and carried it over to a small rack. Slipping it into one of the holes, he turned around to look at Alfred, only to blink. Alfred's hands were in his pockets as he looked down at the gold. At first, Arthur thought the young boy had taken something. But, Alfred pulled his hands out of his pocket and dropped handfuls of his own gold into the chest ranging from watches and rings to bracelets and necklaces. Slowly, Arthur walked over, placing his hand on Alfred's shoulder.

"Alfred?" Alfred turned his head and looked up at Arthur.

"Yeah?"

"Where did you get all this stuff…?" Alfred smiled at Arthur.

"I stole it. Like you." Arthur blinked, but slowly smiled. Clearly, the boy wasn't caught… He could prove useful in the future… Arthur put his hands behind his back, creating a faint green light once again. Once it faded, a chest, smaller than the one he had, took the light's place.

"Here, Alfred. You don't have to put it in my chest." Alfred looked down as Arthur pulled his hands back around.

"A chest?" Alfred took the chest from Arthur and looked at it.

"Aye. You stole your own treasure, you deserve to keep it." Alfred blinked but slowly smiled. He nodded and placed the small chest down, opening it up and placing his stole gold in it. Once he finished, he quickly closed and locked the chest only to pick it back up. He looked back up at Arthur with a smile.

"Thank you, Captain!" Quickly, Alfred ran out of the cabin, shutting the door with a thud. Arthur sighed lightly with a smile. He had improved so much since he first joined this crew. And, Arthur liked it. Smiling, Arthur turned around and began his preparations to sail.

* * *

 **So... This one is a little short, but the reason is the last chapter would be way too long, so I split it up.  
And, yes, Arthur does in fact have magic in this story. He won't use it too often, but for some events, he will.  
Once again, I promise Kiku will come in soon. I didn't mean for such a long build up, but things happen.  
Thank you for reading and enjoying this story and I hope you continue to enjoy it :D**


	10. Chapter 10

Weeks had gone by after the event at the castle. The crew, thankfully, had peaceful sail over the sea. The weather was beautiful; sun shinned high, lightly blue skies, bright white clouds. The waves were low and the water was a shimmering dark blue. It was the perfect day and nobody could be happier. No rough winds as a gentle breeze pushed them along. No rough waves and no dark skies. It was the perfect day.

On the boat, everyone was relaxing, laughing and having fun as they didn't have to do a thing. Alfred sat up atop of the mast once again, looking out his small telescope, hoping to see something. And Arthur was in his quarters, looking at his map and the one Lewis had given him. Dressed in his pirate wear, Arthur looked from map to map, trying to line everything up to see if the map was even true. Everything was lining up; Everything accept that one island. He checked all of the maps he owned and none of them had this island on it. It must just be a mistake. It had to be. The artist accidentally drew the island in the wrong place, right…?

"ARTHUR!" Arthur snapped his head up as the young boy called out his name. Sighing, he rubbed his one free eye and stretched his arms lightly before walking back out on deck. "Look, Captain!" Arthur looked up towards the cry to see Alfred smiling down at him and pointing out at sea. He moved his eye down to the sea only for it to widen. Land. They were coming up on land. But, he was just looking at a map! There's no land in sight for a couple weeks! No map had anything! None except… except the map Lewis gave him… _The island was… real?_ "Are you goin' to land there?!" Alfred shouted down. Arthur walked to the front of the ship to get a better look as they approached. The island was, just like the picture, looking to be about half the size of the large island they were just recently at. The whole island looked to be covered in trees except a small spot that looked to hold a small village. By the looks of it, they had a small port, only able to fit a ship a fourth the size of his own. It couldn't hurt to just look, right?

"Take the ship as close as you can to the island up ahead, boys!" At the sound of their captain, all the crew on the ship scrambled up and instantly got to their jobs. Working the ship over they got it as far as they could before stopping it and setting the anchor. Looking around, there looked to be no one else out at sea and no one on the island had seen them. Alfred quickly climbed down from the top of the mast and ran over.

"Do you know this island, Captain?" Alfred looked up at him as Arthur looked out at the island

"No. Not at all." Arthur quickly turned around and walked into his cabin to grab a couple of things. Alfred blinked, looking out at sea then back at the island. Arthur didn't know about this land…? Maybe that's why he had to call him out here… Alfred slowly turned away from the island and walked over to his sleeping quarters to prepare himself.

Once the ship was secure Arthur, Alfred and 3 other crew members loaded into a small boat and were lowered down into the sea. 2 of the members rowed the boat over to the island while the rest sat in silence. _Why? Why was this island not on any of his other maps?_ Questions racked Arthur's brain as he kept his eye on the island. He was going to find out everything he can before he leaves this island.

Quickly, the boat arrived at the small dock, having the 3rd man jump out and stand on the dock. He grabbed the rope attached to their small boat and pulled it closer before tying down and letting everyone else climb on up. The group of 5 walked deeper into the island and into the village. There was some people out and about, but not many, and out of those people, very few noticed them.

"Hello?" A very quiet voice called out. The group quickly turned around to see a woman in a little bit of run down attire compared to other islands. Arthur looked around before looking back at the women.

"Hello." Arthur nodded.

"We don't get visitors often… What is your purpose being here?"

"Ah, you see. We were sailing and we happened to stumble into your island. So, we have come on land to see what was here." Arthur looked around once more, noticing the bright green environment around the village. They must be taking care of it… Everything looked healthy and lively, almost unrealistic…

"Well, there's nothing much." She smiled lightly. "It's just our little village and the forest surrounding it and the rest of the island."

"I see…"

"Oh, but if you wish to stay for a little, we do have a small house." She smiled once more. "We always love visitors and we would love it if you could stay longer." Something was off… Arthur could feel it… It wasn't the fact that the island was healthy. It wasn't the fact that this lady was so kind. It was this…. aura… that the island was giving off… Something was here… This island had a secret… A old, deep secret… Snapping back from his thoughts, Arthur nodded lightly with a light smile.

"We will gladly stay a night. Please, lead us over to the house." The girl nodded with a smile and turned around quickly, leading them over to the small hut. Arthur followed quickly as the rest of group slowly followed, wondering why Arthur had agreed. They weren't going to stay long… right? Alfred quickly ran up to Arthur and pulled on his coat. Blinking, Arthur looked down to see Alfred looking up at him.

"Why are we stayin' here, captain?" Alfred whispered.

"It's just a night. You and the crew get settled while I do some walkin' around." Arthur whispered back with a slight smile. "I just want to get to know the island a bit more, hm?" Alfred blinked, but nodded as he looked back down. The girl led them over to a small house that looked to be kept nicely even though no one lived there. Opening the door, the girl let them inside. It wasn't too big, but it wasn't too small. There was 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room; just enough to live. Arthur turned back to the girl with a smile. "Thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you." The girl smiled back with a nod. Arthur glanced back at his crew, only for them to nod and get to doing something. Arthur turned to Alfred as he looked up at him. Arthur removed his pirate hat and handed it to Alfred. Alfred blinked, but instantly got the message. He nodded and ran off into one of the room. Arthur smiled and stepped outside with the girl, making her blink.

"What is it, sir?" She cocked her head to the side a bit.

"Do you happen to have an elder in this village I can talk to? I would love to know about this island more." The girl blinked, but nodded.

"Oh, yes. Of course we do. But, are you sure you want to talk with her?" Arthur blinked at this. Why would she asked that?

"Yes, I do." The girl looked at Arthur, eye to eye. She couldn't believe it. Why would someone want to see her? Maybe it was because he was an outsider… Yeah… The girl lightly nodded before turning around and leading him deeper into the village. As they walked, Arthur looked around. People glanced at him every now and again, but that was about it. The small houses and such were neatly kept and well cared for, as well as small plants here and there just like the normal trees and plants. The girl led Arthur over a larger house than the rest of the house and knocked lightly.

"There is a man here to see you, elder." The girl explained.

"Let him in!" An old voice called from island. The girl looked back at Arthur with worried eyes. She mouthed 'good luck' and walked back into the village. Arthur blinked but slowly looked back at the door only to blink. The door was already opened. Pushing the door open a bit more, Arthur walked into the house. It was lit brightly and had the sweet smell of tea. Smiling lightly, he shut the door and walked farther into the house and into the family room area. "Come in, take a seat." Arthur blinked only to look around the room. Quickly, his eye fell upon an old woman sitting in an armchair peacefully. Slowly, Arthur walked into a room, noticing an empty chair and a small cup of tea on the stand next to it. "Well? Take a seat, Arthur." Arthur's eye widen and looked back at the woman only to see her smiling. Slowly, Arthur took a seat in the chair and looked at the woman. How did she know his name...?

"Who are you?" Arthur asked, keeping his eye on her.

"You can call me Mary, hm?" She smiled, picking up her tea and taking a sip. Arthur glanced over at his cup only to slowly reach over and grab it. "Don't worry. I didn't do anything to it." She smiled. "I just want to talk." Arthur glanced back at the women only to look back down at his cup. Slowly, he brought the cup up and took a small sip only to blink. It was a very new and interesting taste, but he liked it... "I'm glad you like it." Arthur looked back at the women with a nod.

"How do you know who I am?" Arthur finally questioned. Mary smiled lightly.

"You're not the only one who knows magic, Arthur." Arthur blinked at this. He wasn't…? "I taught myself, just like you, but I can do more." She winked only for a book to begin to rattle in the bookshelf behind her. Arthur looked up only to watch as a book was pulled out of its place and float over to him. Slowly, it was placed in his lap, making Arthur set the tea down. "That's the book I used." She smiled. Arthur lightly felt the cover only to open it up. He skimmed some of the pages before smirking and lifting the book with his own magic and placing it back.

"It's a wonderful book, but I'm afraid I have this book in my collection." The elder blinked at this. "Is that the only one you have? That's saddening. My collecting is many times bigger than that shelf of yours, I'm afraid. It isn't the spells that are produced, it is your magic capability. From the feel of it, you have a strong amount. But, it's just a bit lower then me." Mary stayed quiet before smiling lightly.

"Ah, and that's why." She chuckled. "Well, then I don't have anything to give you. From afar, you seemed much weaker than me." Arthur chuckled as well.

"Ah, that's a condition I have for being clumsy with magic." The elder stopped laughing and looked at Arthur in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Arthur sighed lightly and took another sip of his tea.

"I would rather not talk about it… It's not somethin' I want to remember…" Mary nodded and placed her cup down. Arthur did the same. It got silent.

"I know why you've come here, Arthur." Arthur blinked and looked back up at Mary. "You feel something, don't you?" Slowly, Arthur nodded. "The thing is, that is not me." Arthur blinked. Mary smiled lightly before reaching over and grabbing a smaller book with her hands. She flipped through the pages quickly before stopping suddenly. "This is what you are feeling." Mary handed the book over to Arthur, making him blink. He directed his eye down to the paper, blinking once more. On the page was a very poorly drawn humanoid creature with a long snake like tail. Arthur looked back up at Mary.

"What is this?" Arthur asked.

"That is a curse. An old, deep curse that runs along the first family on this island." Mary explained. Arthur raised a brow as he closed the book.

"A curse you say?" Arthur asked. Mary nodded.

"Of course. It's a strong one so you can feel it."

"What is this curse?" Mary smiling lightly before clearing her throat, beginning the tale.

"It all started long ago. A family had just settled on this island, as they no longer wanted to live on mainland Europe. There was no signs of human life, so they declared it the perfect home. Working hard and long, the two built up a large house and began their life here, on the island. But, another family had _their_ eyes on this island as well. They loved the scenery as well and wanted it as theirs. Quickly, the two families met and began a fight about who will live on the island. The second family's wife got so upset that she placed an immediate curse on the family. The two fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Their feet painfully merged together, growing scales. Skin fused together, in between their fingers. Skin ripped apart on their neck, having blood slowly run down. Their ears painfully grew and spread out into anything but human ears. They were thrown into the ocean and never seen again. The second family claimed the island as their own and has lived on this island forever since." As Mary told the story, Arthur thought. He tried to imagine it and tried to understand it the best he could.

"So, the second family placed the curse just because they wanted the island?" Mary nodded. "Did the first family have any children?"

"Some say they did, but no one can prove it as no one has seen them since." Arthur sighed at this. _Curses 101… never have children if you are curse. Curses effect your whole family from that point_ _onward_.

"But wait… If they were thrown into sea, why is there magical properties on the island? You said it wasn't you… Could it be…?" Arthur looked up at Mary to see her smiling.

"Just because they were thrown off the island, that didn't stop them from living close by. The family was said to live in the water near the island." Mary looked around before reaching back over to the shelf and grabbing a small rolled up piece of paper. She handed it to Arthur, making him confused. "This is yours. You can use it."

"What is it?" Arthur slowly began to unroll the paper.

"A map of the island. A better one than what you have. Somewhere on this island is a small grove which the family is said to sometime visit. I am too old to keep looking any longer and all my time I have never been able to find this grove. Maybe you can, Arthur." Arthur blinked and looked up Mary. "You told me your magic power. You are strong then I. Find this grove, and you will see. You will see that creature for your own eyes." Glancing back down at the map, it was a simple map on the island. Trees and forests littered the island. The only placed with little to no trees was this village. Nothing stood out to him that would indicate a grove… That must be why is hasn't been found.

"I might take a look around. Though, I don't plan on stayin' too long." Arthur rolled the map back up and placed it next to him as he looked up at Mary. Mary nodded. The small book she had given Arthur floated back over to the shelf and placed itself back.

"Well, if you do plan to look around, I promise you won't be upset at what you'll find." She smiled lightly. Arthur nodded, standing back up and placing the rolled up map in his pocket.

"Well…" Arthur brushed himself off lightly before looking back at Mary. "It was nice meeting a fellow wizard." Mary smiled with a nod. "But, I must go." Mary stood up and walked over Arthur, shaking hands with him.

"Take a look, I promise." Mary winked.

"If I have free time, I will." Mary nodded and Arthur walked towards the door. Once he opened it, he stopped. "How is it that you just so happen to know about these things, Mary?" Arthur glanced back to see her smiling.

"A family secret." With that, Mary shut the door, removing Arthur from her home. Arthur lightly smiled at that. Of course she was...

Walking back to the house they were given, Arthur thought about what Mary told him. _A curse? I've only seen a curse once or twice before… But this. THIS is something I have never even read of… A family turned into creatures? No… It must just be a wild goose chase by and old coon…_ Arthur sighed and felt the map in his pocket before getting back into the house.

* * *

 **This one ended up turning out really long! Wow. Well, I wanted to get all of this in, but I couldn't really stop myself as I wrote. I like writing, what can I say? Things are coming up next, I promise~  
Happy reading~**


	11. Chapter 11

"Captain? Where ya' goin'?" A small voice asked. Person in question blinked and turned around to see none other than Alfred. The boy stood in the door way, eyes following the older male. One hand held an apple with a couple small bites taken out of it while the other held a small piece of bread; this being his breakfast. The reason the young Alfred had asked such a question was mainly because Arthur had changed out his pirate uniform and into something more relaxed. He also took note in the small map in his back pocket.

"Oh..." Arthur paused, not expecting Alfred to be there. "I'm just goin' out for a bit to look around this here island." Arthur patted the map in his back pocket, making sure it was still there. He light sighed when he felt it. Turning his head back up to Alfred the older watched the younger's eyes widened while a large smile grew on his face.

"Can I come?! I wanna explore!" He jumped a bit, quickly stuffing the bread into his mouth, causing crumbs to fall to the ground. Arthur's eyes widened. Quickly, he relaxed and shook his head.

"No, Alfred. You need to stay here." Alfred's smiled quickly faded to a frown instantly upon hearing the no. "I'm just goin' to look around. It's also dangerous out there and I don'y need Francis nipping at my arse that I let you hurt yourself, or worse." Alfred narrowed his eyes slightly, wanting to explore with the captain.

"But-"

"No buts. Clean up the mess on the floor you made as well. I'll be back in a bit and we can head back out at sea, hm?" Arthur tried to convince the young boy to stay. Alfred went silent for a bit, before sighing.

"Fine... You win..." Alfred lightly marched out of the room and back into the kitchen, taking another bit of his apple. Sighing, Arthur rolled his eye and walked out of the room, as well as out of the house.

The sky was a bright blue and small white clouds rolling overhead. They should be good to sail later tonight when he gets back. Where exactly is he going? Well, to find the grove. Taking a deep breath, Arthur walked over to the wooded area of the island and began his exploration. Throughout the whole night, he couldn't stop thinking about it. What if it was real? The grove, the curse, the creature. In all honesty, it was this creature that got Arthur looking. A humanoid creature that, seemed to be, part fish...? What exactly would it look like? How would it act? Would it see humans as an enemy for turning them into fish? The more Arthur thought about it, the more he wanted to see this creature.

After about a good 2 or 3 hours, Arthur was about to give up. He had probably covered about half of this damn forest and he couldn't find anything! There was nothing indicating a grove, there was nothing like a grove, there was nothing! Just damn trees with large roots that he tripped over a couple of times! Growling lightly, Arthur walked over to a large rock and slid down to the ground for a brake. Maybe this grove things was just a wild goose chase. He's been tricked by that godforsaken old witch. There is no creature and there is no curse. Nothing. Arthur had given up.

"I guess I can head back an' we can leave earlier than planned. That's fine though. Being out at sea is better than bein' tricked..." Arthur sighed. He relaxed his shoulder and laid fully against the rock, allowing his back to rest. Almost instantly though, his body fell back causing his eyes to widen. It was like the rock was no longer there. Arthur closed his eye and curled up his body, trying to protect himself. His body rolled down a hill, coming to a painful stop as he hit the hard ground. Groaning in pain, Arthur slowly opened his eye only to blink then widen. Quickly, he turned his body around from his back to his butt, having his eye widen as he looked around. The area was beautiful. Even more than the main island. Green grass grew everywhere and large, bright, healthy trees surrounded the area. In the back of this small area was a decently sized pool of water with a large rock wall behind it. There was a couple of rock stick up out of the water as well as the sandy and grassy ground before it. Bright and pretty flowers were blooming all over the place and what seemed to be fireflies flew around the area. Was this… the grove…? One of the lights flowed over to him, making Arthur bring his hand up. Lightly, the light landed on his hand, but didn't die down. It did blink its light like a firefly, but it wasn't one… It was magical… This was a magical creature that emitted light.

A loud splashing sound caused the light to disappear from his hand and the male to look up. The splashing came from the small pond. Something was getting ready to emerge. Arthur's eye widen before quickly running behind one of the trees. Slowly, Arthur moved to look past the tree to see what was going to come out from the once calm water. The pirate watched as a creature's head pop out of the water, splashing water away. Arthur watched this creature with wide eyes. It didn't make sense... this thing that emerged from the water... it looked... human... Arthur watched as the man's head fully came out of the water, letting Arthur watch 3 large slits on neck collapse over top of each other. That allowed the man to take a deep breath, filling its lungs up with air. It eyes slowly pealed open and looked around its surroundings, making sure everything looked clear before swimming closer to the land and climbing up on one of the rocks, placing its back towards Arthur. Once the man seemed preoccupied with what he was doing Arthur slowly walked out from behind the tree, trying to get a better look.

Slowly, Arthur began to make his way over to the man. Who is this man and what exactly was he...? It was clear he wasn't human, from the gill-like slits that were in his neck. Every step Arthur took, his heartbeat increase. Was the man going to attack him? Could he hold his own against a creature he couldn't even identify? Slowly, but surely, Arthur made his way over. As soon as he was about 15 feet away there was a sudden snapping of a twig that made both him and the creature freeze. Very slowly, the man turned his head around as Arthur was frozen in place, took scared to do anything. The two met eye to eye only for both of them to widen. The man quickly jumped back into the water before Arthur could say a thing. The splash brought Arthur back into his senses, making the pirate run over. The man was scared of him...?

"W-Wait!" Arthur called out. Running over to the edge of the water Arthur fell to his knees, looking into the water. The water was unbelievably clear. It let him see all the way down to the bottom. It was only rippling from the man jumping in, causing the picture to waver slightly. Under the water, the man had retreated down to the very bottom, wanting to be as far away from the man as possible. His body was as close to the dirt ground and rocky wall as it would allow him. Yet... he did not run away. He stayed exactly where he was. He wasn't swimming out of the area, never to be seen again. No. He stayed. Watching. Wondering. The sides of his neck peeled back apart, allowing bubble of air to escape and float to the surface. "I-I wasn't goin' to hurt ye… Promise..." Arthur explained, hoping the man would emerge from the water. He looked so interesting, having such unique features... He just wanted to chat with him... Though, the man didn't move. He stayed under the water, afraid of what the 'strange man' might do to him. Slowly, Arthur slipped his fingers into the water, trying not to rustle up the still topped water. The man backed up farther, making Arthur stop. When the man seemed to relax a bit, Arthur slowly slipped his hand fully under the water and placed it out, wanting the man to grab it. Though, the man didn't move. He stayed exactly where he was.

Sighing, Arthur slowly removed his hand from the water and sat back, so he was out of view from the man. He backed up and waited, hoping that the man would chase after him. After a little bit, the black hair of the man slowly peeked his head through the water, just enough for his deep brown eyes to look out. Instantly, his eyes laid upon Arthur just sitting far off from the bank, waiting. He wasn't going to hurt him? Arthur waited and didn't move, in fear of the man swimming back under the water. Though, to his surprise, the man came farther out from under the water so his shoulder just barely brushed the water surface. The slits on his neck closed back up as he began breathing air once more. The two stayed quiet, just looking at each other. Neither wanted to move out of fear that the other was going to do something in response. Arthur's eyes scanned the male, wanted to see as much as he could. Sitting up on a little incline he was able to peer down into the water, seeing all of him. Instantly, Arthur took note in the fin like ears and sections of white scale looking things along his bare shoulders and chest. He could also see fin like things on the ends of the man's elbows as well as some sort of white and red tail instead of legs. Was it...? Was this the creature Mary was talking about...? A creature of the sea...?

Glancing back up at the man's face, his eyes never left Arthur. He was watching his every movement. Every breath he took, every eye movement, every single muscle that moved. Watching him, just in case he needed to retreat back under the water. After a couple minutes of silence, Arthur cleared his throat lightly. The man flinched in response, but didn't move away. So, Arthur continued.

"H-Hello." Arthur spoe quietly, trying to not frighten the creature. The man slowly nodded back.

" _Konnichiwa_." That made Arthur blink. What was that? The man blinked as well. Quickly thought, he seemed to realize his mistake. He cleared his throat and tried again. "H-Herro to you, as werr." The man's thick heavily accented voice explained. Arthur has never heard that kind of accent before in his life. Where was he from? Quickly, silence loomed over the two once more.

"My name is Arthur." Arthur explained. Arthur crawled closer, reaching his hand out to shake. The man flinched back a bit, relaxing slightly when he realized Arthur wasn't going to do anything. Slowly, the man reached his hand out of the water and placed it in Arthur's. Instantly, Arthur took note in the large amount of skin in between the man's fingers. Almost like webbing the frogs have.

"Kiku." The man explained as the two shook hands. Kiku retreated his hand back under water after they finished. Arthur sat back up and moved his body to sit comfortably as well. When Arthur didn't try anything, the creature blinked in confusion. "You are not... going to… hurt me?" Arthur blinked, but shook his head.

"No. Of course not. Why would I do such a thing? You have done nothing wrong." Arthur began to change his speech away from his pirate speak, trying to make sure the creature could understand him.

"Two-reggers rike you arways try to hurt me..." He sighed, relaxing slightly, believing Arthur wasn't going to hurt him.

"Two-legger?" Arthur questioned, picking up on Kiku's accent the more he spoke. Kiku looked back up at him and nodded.

" _Hai_. You have two regs. You are a two-regger."

"Does that mean you are a sea-creature?" Kiku blinked. "A creature of the sea?" Arthur repeated. Kiku thought about it only to nod slightly.

"You could say..." Kiku looked back up at Arthur, taking note of his features, Arthur was very different from the creature like him. He had golden blond hair and a bright green eye, like the sun had kissed his features to make him light. Creatures like him only rarely breached the surface, so most of their characteristics were the same. Darker hair, darker eye, paler skin. Though, Kiku was drawn to the his clothing and the cloth on Arthur's eye. Why would he cover up his eye? What was he wearing? But, Kiku knew better than to ask. He would be invading their privacy.

"Is that a tail then?" Arthur's voice brought Kiku back to reality. "Like a dolphin's? You use your tail to swim?" Kiku nodded lightly.

" _Hai._ We swim with our tairs. How erse do you expect us to move around?" The creature cocked his head to the side.

"I've just never seen someone like you. I was just wondering." Arthur sighed lightly, taking note that he was being a bit rude to the creature. Arthur eyed the tail under the water, wanting to see it fully. But... He shouldn't really ask... Right? Of course, his curiosity got the better of him. "D-Do you mind if I... well... saw your tail?" Kiku blinked at this, as a light blush covered his face. His tail? Of course... As a two-legger, he had no clue what it meant... Slowly, though, Kiku nodded only for Arthur to smile slightly. The black haired man rotated his body lightly and brought his tail out of the water allowing Arthur to look in amazement. The main base of the tail was a pure snowy white while the tip, the actual fin part of the tail, was a bright, vibrant red. Arthur had to stop himself from touching the tail, knowing _that_ would be going too far. "Wow... You tail is, of course, something I've never seen before..." Kiku brought his tail back under the water and turned back to look at Arthur. "It's really a beautiful thing." Arthur lightly smiled. Kiku's eyes widened slightly as a faint blush covered his cheeks. He quickly looked down, not wanting to chose his blush.

" _A-Arigatō..._ " Arthur chuckled lightly, taking that as a thank you. Arthur sat back, giving Kiku some space to relax, which he took happily. After he had calmed down a bit, he turned back to look at Arthur, wanting to ask him something. "I hope you do not mind me asking, but this area is heaviry conceared. And, the onry way in is from the way I came in. So... How did you get here?" Arthur blinked.

"Well, this area isn't as concealed as you think. I was walking around when I stumbled over to a rock. When I leaned up against it, it just... well... disappeared. I fell backwards and landed down in here. Meaning, there's another way to get into this area. But, don't worry, I won't tell a soul about this place, I promise." Arthur smiled. Kiku blinked, but nodded a thank you. "So... Do you live in this grove or...?" Arthur asked as he looked away, wanting to know more about this creature's life.

" _Iie_. I do not rive here. I rive with my famiry far out into the ocean." Kiku looked behind him, back in the direction he had come from. "Where do _you_ rive? I have never seen you around here."

"That's because I don't live here either. My family lived back in England, on land." Of course, Kiku didn't know what England was, but he rolled along with it.

"Then, why are you not in Engrand?"

"Well... I am currently watching over a friend of mine's child. He's dropped off at my place every once an a while, as he likes to spend time with me." Arthur smiled lightly. "But, I'm on a journey to take him back to his family all the way across the ocean." Kiku blinked, but nodded.

"So, are you just visiting this island?" Arthur nodded. "I see." Once again, it grew quiet around the two, unknown what to say to each other. Arthur glanced around at the area once again. Maybe the reason Mary couldn't find this area was because she didn't have a high enough magical ability... When he fell down here, he could feel a strong magical aura around the place... It must be guarded with magic and Arthur had just enough to get past it...

After the long silence, the two began to talk again; making small conversation. Quickly though, they grew into a full on conversation, talking about anything and everything. Smiling and laughing here and there, Kiku grew to understand Arthur. He may be a two-legger, but he had no intentions on hurting him. No intentions of kidnapping him. No intention of telling others. He was one of the only nice human, as he learned they were called, that Kiku had ever seen.

Though, Arthur couldn't stay forever. He had to go back to make sure Alfred was alright. He had left him alone far too long for the same reason he didn't allow Alfred to come with him. He really didn't need Francis yelling at him because something happened to his child. Of course, Kiku had asked if Arthur was going to come back. He had met a human that wasn't going to hurt him. He wanted to become friends with the 'land-creature'. Arthur just smiled and agreed; he too wanted to befriend the sea-creature. Arthur made his way back to the village just as the sun was setting and a small rain storm started up. It took him by surprise that he had spent the whole day with Kiku, but it didn't really bother him that much. Kiku was a nice guy to hang around. Unlike half of his crew, who, all they do is complain. Getting home turned into storm of questions from Alfred. Where was he? What did he do? Are they going home yet? Non-stop. The crew was going to stay on the island or a bit, as heavy rain began to pick up. Going out at sea would cause for, yet again, another trip with mountainous waves. Of course, Alfred ran to 'his room' to pout, as he wanted to go back out at sea once more.

Days past as the group was forced to stay upon the island. Rain continued its dangerous downpour, but that didn't stop Arthur. Every day he always left early in the day and arrived back late at night just to go talk to Kiku. They would talk about anything that came up. Anything they wanted to know. As a response, the two grew to love each other's company and enjoyed hanging around one another. All they could hope was that this rain storm never ended.

* * *

 _ **~Japanese~**_

 _ **Konnichiwa**_ **-Hello  
 _Hai_ -Yes  
 _Arigatō_ -Thank you  
 _Iie_ -No  
**

* * *

 **Oh My God. It's been such a long time! I'm so sorry! ;-; I had a lot to catch up on in my life when I posted the last chapter I just didn't get around to actually writing this one. I promise to continue this story! I'm not dropping it! I had time to think and create an almost solid idea on where this story is going, so hopefully I'll be able to post more. I'm really sorry!  
Another reason is I started another story so I would really appreciate it if you would check it out and tell me what you think~ I'll be trying to alternate between those two the best I can.  
Thank you for waiting and I hope you guys are enjoying this story. I thank the ones who are still committed to this story to stay with me as I take what feels like years to update XD All I ask is that you leave a review to tell me what you think and if you're still enjoying this story. It would be helpful ^-^**


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